I-75 crash destroyed cancer scanning machine

A crash that destroyed a $4 million medical device will delay tests for some mid-Michigan residents waiting to determine if they have cancer or when they can start treatment.

The Monday night crash on Interstate 75 reduced the high-cost piece to rubble as the tractor-trailer truck hauling it collided with a pickup.

The machine, a positron emission tomography and computer tomography or PET/CT unit, erupted in flames as the rig flipped on its side.

The unit belonged to Alliance HNI Health Care Services of Owosso, which provides services to more than 40 medical facilities across the state.

PET/CT scanners are used to help identify cancer and precisely locate tumors for radiation therapy, an Alliance official said.

The collision occurred as the device was en route to West Branch Regional Medical Center.

Since the hospital added the service in March, the unit has come to West Branch once a week, said Sally Whitener, director of communications for the hospital.

"We had eight patients scheduled on Tuesday," she said. "We are on hold for next week, which already was booked. We are telling patients if they have urgent needs, they will have to go to Saginaw."

Alliance said it plans to replace the unit. Company President Gregg Hedegore declined to name the hospitals the unit services, citing the competitive nature of the business.

"We are in the process of going through the requirements to replace the unit if it is totaled, which it probably will be," Hedegore said.

"In the meantime, we will cover with other systems available or other means. We hope it won't take more than 10 days to replace it."

Monday's crash gave emergency responders an opportunity to put their hazardous materials protocols through the paces.

"There were a few tense moments while we were determining what we were dealing with," said Bridgeport Township Fire Chief Patrick B. Nelson. "Everything went just as we practiced."

Just before 9:30 p.m., a pickup going north spun out on black ice in front of the rig. In the resulting collision, the $4 million truck, trailer and contents flipped onto its side, slid into the ravine between the highway and exit ramp and eventually caught on fire.

The impact caused a pressurized canister to rupture and vent a vapor that authorities initially thought was compressed helium but later learned was nitrogen.

"The driver thought he was hauling a (magnetic resonance imaging) machine which contains a powerful magnet and helium," Nelson said.

Helium cools the superconductive magnet.

The trailer actually contained the PET/CT, unit, which does not use magnets or helium.
State police from the Bridgeport Post, Bridgeport police and firefighters from Bridgeport and Buena Vista townships responded to the scene.

"It was one of those scenarios where, once we determined there was no threat to life, we were able to work through some procedures," Nelson said, adding he was pleased with the way police, firefighters, dispatchers, hospital personnel and even the company that owns the truck communicated.

"Central Dispatch did an awesome job of helping us get the information we needed," he said.

Minutes after the crash, Saginaw County emergency dispatchers were on the telephone with St. Mary's of Michigan to learn more about MRI machines. Dispatchers also searched for information about the dangers of helium, particularly when exposed to flames.

The venting gasses were little cause for concern, Nelson said.

"Both helium and nitrogen are lighter than air," he said.

The vapors went aloft where the wind whisked them away within 15 minutes.

Firefighters still had to saw through layers of wood and lead to get to the fire under the roof of the trailer.

The truck has a fire suppression system but the impact incapacitated it, Nelson said.

Mike's Wrecker Service used eight air bags to right the trailer without twisting it and risking breakage.